Jump to section Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. I'm spending Labor Day weekend in New York City, and my itinerary is almost entirely built around one credit card perk: presale access.
Getting tickets to popular concerts and sporting events at face value can be an accomplishment in itself — and missing the initial sale can mean paying significantly more on the resale market.
But card presales are the reason I'll be attending two bucket-list events on back-to-back days: the U.S. Open on Friday and Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Many of the cards I carry in my wallet come with terrific perks like automatic elite status , statement credits and travel insurance . But as a huge sports and music fan, presale access has become one of my favorites.
Here's why I love this underrated perk , how it helped me score both tickets and a few tips for maximizing your chances of doing the same.
I've used Amex presales twice this year to get tickets to two events I've been really excited about: Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden and the U.S. Open. In both cases, I accessed the presale with my Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card .
First up was Harry Styles. I joined the Amex presale in January and got tickets to his Sept. 5 show, which falls on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. I bought my tickets more than seven months before the concert, which shows just how far in advance you may need to plan if you want to take advantage of cardmember presales.
I paid $175 per ticket during the presale. Now, the show is sold out, and tickets in the same section are selling for more than $300 on the resale market.
A few months later came another Amex presale: the U.S. Open.
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Going to the tournament has been a dream of mine, so I was excited to snag two tickets during the late-May presale. My tickets are for Friday, Sept. 4, the men's and women's third round at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium.
I paid $199 per ticket, and tickets in my section are now selling for more than $250 on resale sites. Inventory is also pretty limited, which makes me even happier that I bought when I did.
Those two presales effectively built my Labor Day weekend. Once I knew I'd be in New York for two events I really wanted to attend, the next challenge was finding somewhere to stay.
I booked three nights at Hotel 50 Bowery for 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per night, which I earned with my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees ).
The same stay would have cost $1,253.45, including taxes and fees, giving me about 1.67 cents per point in value. That's slightly below TPG's current valuatio…